Expertise:

Biography:

Dr. Spencer is experienced in a wide range of teaching and ministry settings. Born and reared in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, she has taught in the Caribbean and in Spanish on various occasions.

Dr. Spencer has worked as a community organizer, social worker, minister and educator in a wide variety of urban settings in New Jersey. She has worked as a member of Community Action and Model Cities, as well as engaging in adult and continuing education. She has taught English as a Second Language and organized Christian outreach at Trenton State Prison and served as the campus chaplain of the College of New Jersey (formerly Trenton State College).

An ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA), Dr. Spencer is the founding pastor of organization with the Pilgrim Church of Beverly. She is a frequent speaker at churches and conferences and has chaired both the Southeast and Northeast regions of the Evangelical Theological Society. She has also served on the committee of representation for Northern New England Presbytery PC(USA), and has been a visiting scholar at Harvard Divinity School and El Seminario Evangélico of Puerto Rico. She coordinates the Office of Presbyterian Ministries at Gordon-Conwell.

Dr. Spencer also sits on several boards and committees. She is listed in Who's Who in Religion, Contemporary Authors, Who's Who of American Women, Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in the World, Who’s Who in American Education and Who’s Who Among American Teachers and Educators.

Dr. Spencer’s scholarly interests include Paul’s letters, Acts, Bible and women’s studies, marriage, suffering, New Testament ministry, literary style, imagery and prayer.
Her personal interests include reading fiction, bicycling and gardening. She and her husband William, who is also an ordained minister in the PC(USA) and a ranked adjunct associate professor at Gordon-Conwell, live in Hamilton, MA.

Dr. Aida Besançon Spencer's Publications
Books
• Global Voices on Biblical Equality: Women and Men
Ministering Together in the Church, co-edited with William David
Spencer and Mimi Haddad (Wipf and Stock, 2008)
• 2 Corinthians, Daily Bible Commentary (Hendrickson, 2007)
• The Global God: Multicultural Evangelical Views of God; co-edited with husband Rev. Dr. William David Spencer (Baker, 1998)
• God through the Looking Glass: Glimpses from the Arts, co-edited with William David Spencer (Baker, 1998)
• Paul's Literary Style: A Stylistic Comparison of II Corinthians 11:16-12:13, Romans 8:9-39, and Philippians 3:2-4:13 (University Press of America, 1998)
• The Goddess Revival, co-authored with Donna F. G. Hailson, Catherine Clark Kroeger and William David Spencer (Baker, 1995; reprinted Wipf & Stock 2010); The Goddess Revival was a 1996 Christianity Today Book Award winner.
• Latino Heritage Bible, co-edited with Alvin Padilla (World Bible, 1995)
• Joy Through the Night: Biblical Resources on Suffering (InterVarsity, 1994; reprinted Wipf and Stock, 2007)
• The Prayer Life of Jesus: Shout of Agony, Revelation of Love, a Commentary (University Press of America, 1990)
• 2 Corinthians (Bible Study Commentary Series), co-authored with William Spencer (Zondervan, 1989); Has also been published in Chinese
• Beyond the Curse: Women Called to Ministry (Hendrickson, 1985; Baker 2010); Also published in French, made the 1986 Eternity Book of the Year list.